Mechanistic roller-compacted concrete mixture design and testing for pavement constructability

Current roller-compacted concrete (RCC) pavement mixture design procedures do not directly integrate aggregate properties and require specialized experience to select and proportion material constituents to achieve constructability, strength, and sustainability targets. Additionally, standard field and laboratory test methods do not reliably evaluate RCC pavement constructability, which results in a trial-and-error approach to mixture development. To realize broader adoption of RCC pavement with consistent quality, a rational method to select RCC mixture constituents and proportions needs to be developed, which links directly to RCC pavement constructability. To achieve this goal, the theoretical optimal paste volume model was used to define volumetric relationships between RCC material constituents into categories of underfilled, equifilled, and overfilled aggregate voids filled with paste (VFP). A laboratory testing protocol was subsequently developed using the gyratory compactor to evaluate RCC mixture constructability (paveability, compactability, stability, and finishability) with volumetric compaction energy, shear strength, and paste mobility. Aggregate morphology, paste content, paste rheology, and binder composition of RCC were factors varied and tested in the laboratory to connect to constructability performance categories. Paveability was defined as the volumetric energy required to achieve 90% of the theoretical maximum density (TMD) while compactability was defined as the incremental energy to increase density from 90 to 95% TMD. Paste rheology primarily controlled the energy to reach 90% TMD, while the aggregate source controlled the energy to reach 95% TMD. The stability of all RCC lab mixtures, as measured by CBR, ranged from 30 to 100, with an average of 50 CBR at 95% TMD. The paveability and finishability of RCC pavements were quantified through the mobility of the paste through the gyratory paste seepage time (initial and final) with average times 25 and 50 seconds, respectively . The 7-day compressive strength for the target RCC mixtures ranged from 35 and 55 MPa with lower cement contents than conventional concrete paving mixtures. Several RCC paving projects were visited to better define constructability performance metrics with RCC volumetric parameters, i.e., intergranular volume of voids (IGV), total paste volume (TPV), ratio of voids filled by paste (VFP), specific surface area (SSA), excess paste film thickness (EPFT), and water-to-cement ratio (W/C). A target EPFT values between 5 and 10 µm was found to be the most significant parameter for overall constructability, strength, and sustainability. For all RCC mixtures, the IGV for the different combined aggregate sources varied between 14% and 25%, and calculated VFP was between 105% to 125% with W/C between 0.35 and 0.50. Based on the laboratory and field research results, a mechanistic mixture design framework was proposed that guides designers to select RCC constituents and aggregate proportions, propose initial RCC mixture proportions based on the laboratory volumetric parameters, define a set of tests and methods to quantify RCC constructability in the laboratory, and recommend adjustments to mixture proportions, constituents, or construction equipment and methods for underperforming mixtures relative to the constructability performance metrics.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Civil Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Ouellet, Jordan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Roesler, Jeffery R
• Al-Qadi, Imad L
• Popovics, John S
• Tutumluer, Erol
• Thompson, Marshall R

• roller-compacted concrete
• volumetric mix design
• constructability
• gyratory compactor
• RCC mixture design

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Jordan Ouellet

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129364

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129364